Pouring ladle



Dec. 17, 1940. w s, FRAULA 2,224,906

' POURING LADLE Filed Dec. 1s, 1938 l |||||||||||m|| W- Patented Dec. 17, 1940 UNITED STATES PoURlNGjLADLE William lS. Fraula, Suffern, N. Y., assignor to The American Brake Shoe and Foundry Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application December 13, 1938, serial No. 245,515

3 Claims.

This invention relates to pouring vladles and more particularly to such ladles used in iron foundries and the like where a conveyor system is used to transport the ladles from place to place as desired. When used with such conveyor systems the track or rail thereof is generally overhead and the ladle is suspended from rollers or wheels riding on the track or rail. Heretofore the ladles have been somewhat unwieldy and diflicult to handle due to the susceptibility to swaying with the consequent danger to the foundry equipment and workmen from spilling of the molten metal. The primary object of this invention is to reduce such swaying to a point where it is not a source of danger to the workmen and property.

In many instances the ladles are suspended on cables or the like passing" into hoisting mechanism to enable the raising and lowering of the ladles to receive the molten metal and to eifect a more efcient pouring into the molds. In such instances the cables or the like facilitate the undesired swaying and it is anotherA object to effectively eliminate or reduce the swaying of the ladles when they are so suspended.

A further object is to move the ladle readily along the track or rail by pushing on a handle provided on the ladle without swinging the ladle on its support.

Still further objects will be apparent from the following description and disclosure in the drawing in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation showing one of the strap members partly broken away; and

Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing a portion in section.

Hoisting mechanism 3 operable by an electric motor 4 is secured through angle plates 5 to a cross bar 6. The cross bar 6 is bent at its ends and is secured by welding to the plates 1. The plates 1 are mounted in the yokes 8 and 9 which are arranged to carry the wheels or rollers I 0 and II, respectively. There are two wheels I0 as well as two wheels II which are adapted to ride on the track formed by the inverted flanged portion of the T-shaped rail I2. The rail I2 is suspended from supports I3 which are generally secured to the underside of the roof of the foundry. However, the supports I3 might as easily be suspended from standards rising from the oor. The supports I3 carry conductor bars I4. In the present instance three such conductor bars are illustrated for use with three-phase electric current. Brushes I5 are suitably mounted on the yokes 8 and 9 to engage the conductor bars I4. The brushes I5 are suitably connected to the motor 4 of the hoisting mechanism 3 by wires as I6. A pair of strap members I1 and I8 are welded to the plates 1 and are bent around the sides 'of the hoisting mechanism 3 and de- "5 pend therebeneath where they are spaced from each other by the tie plates I9 which are vbolted to the strap members I1 and I8 by bolts 28. The

tie plates I9 are spaced apart by a spacer 2l. A vertical opening is provided through the tie plates 10 I9 and the spacer 2| through which Ia supporting bar 22 extends. 'I'he supporting bar is suitably secured to a hook 2 3 depending from the pulley yoke 24 which, through its pulley, rides on ther cable 25 suspended from the hoisting 15 mechanism 3. A yoke 26 is suitably secured to the lower end of the bar 22 and which is in turn secured to a larger` yoke 21 which supports the ladle 28 mounted for pivotal movement in an axle 29 journaled in the yoke 21. `The axle 29 20 has a worm gear 30 thereon meshed with a worm 3l operable bythe hand wheel 32. Rotation of the wheel 32 turns the axle 29 to tilt the ladle for pouring ofthe molten metal contained therein into a suitable mold. A handle portion 33 25 extends outwardly from the ladleto a point well beyond the hand `wheel 32. Near' the outer end of the handle a switch-34 is secured thereto for controlling operation of the motor 4 through the electric cable 35.

Two push buttons are preferably provided on the switch 34, one of which will operate the motor 4 as long as the button is pressed inwardly to raise the ladle while the other button will operate the motor to lower the ladle as long as 35 the button is pushed. A suitable collar 36 may be secured by means of a set screw v31 to the bar 22 above the tie plates I9 so that positive limitation of downward movement of the bar 22 and ladle 28 is provided, thus tending to avoid 0 serious accident in the event of breaking of the cable 25 or failure in operation of the hoisting mechanism 3.

It will be obvious that the ladle may be readily moved along the rail I2 by pushing on the han- 45 dle 33. The spacing of the wheels I0 and II effectively prevents undue swaying of the ladle about either sets of Wheels. 'I'he strap members I1 and I8 likewise effectively prevent undue swaying of the ladle in a transverse direction. However, there is enough flexibility in these parts to enable the operator, through the handle 33 alonefto slightly swing'the ladle in order to register the pouring stream of molten metal therefrom with the pouring gate of the mold after he has moved the ladle along the track l2 into approximate pouring association with the mold. It will be noted that the bar 22 is relatively rigid as far as transverse or horizontal movement thereof is concerned by means of the relatively rigid bracing of the strap members l1 and I3. However, vertical movement of the bar 22 and consequently of the ladle 28 is readily produced by the simple operation of the buttons on the switch 34 which operate and control the motor 4 and hoisting mechanism 3.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred form of my invention, it is to be understood that this is capable of variation and modification and I therefore do notwish to be limited to the precise details set forth but desire to avail' myself of such changes and alterations as fall within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A supporting structure for ladles of the character describedcomprising a longitudinally movable carriage, a supportingbar for a ladle suspended from the carriage, flexible cable means connecting the upper end of the supporting bar and carriage for raising and lowering the supporting bar, the upper end regions of said bar otherwise normally being free and having a potential limited magnitude of lateral movement relative to the carriage, a pair of semi-rigid straps secured at their upper ends to the carriage at transversely spaced points and depending therefrom and converging downwardly, a tie plate connecting the. lower ends of the straps, said supporting barfextending through said tie plate and being slidable vertically therein, said straps being sufficiently flexible to permit limited transverse tilting movement of the bar and ladle for pouring purposes whereby the upper end of said bar moves laterally of the carriage in one direction and the lower end thereof moves laterally in the other direction to cause displacement of the ladle bodily, a collar for limiting the downward movement of the supporting bar slidably mounted on the latter above the tie plate and designed for engagement withsaid plate, and means for securing said collar to the supporting bar in any desired position of adjustment.

2. A supporting structure for ladles of the character described comprising a longitudinally movable carriage, a supporting bar for a ladle suspended from the carriage, exible cable means connecting the upper end of the supporting bar and carriage for raising and lowering the supporting bar, the upper end regions of said bar otherwise normally being free and having a potential limited magnitude of lateral movement relative to the carriage, a pair of semi-rigid straps secured atv their upper ends to the carriage at transversely spaced points and depending therefrom and converging downwardly, and a tieY plate connecting the lower ends of the straps, said supporting bar extending through said tie plate and being slidable vertically therein, said straps beingv sufficiently flexible to permit limited transverse tilting movement of the bar and ladle forpouring purposes whereby the upper end of said bar moves laterally of the carriage in one direction and the lower end thereof moves laterally in the other direction to cause displacement of the ladle bodily.

3. A supporting structure for ladles of the character described comprising a longitudinally movable carriage, a. supporting bar for a ladle suspended from the. carriage, flexible cable means connecting the upper end of the supporting bar and carriage' for raising and lowering the supporting bar, the upper end regions of said bar otherwise. normally being free and having a potential limited magnitude of lateral movement. relative to the carriage, a pair of semi-rigid straps secured at their upper ends to the carriageat transversely spaced points anddepending therefromy and converging downwardly, a pair of tie plates connected at their endsto said straps adjacent the lower ends of the latter and servi-ng to maintain saidY lower endsy spaced, and al spacer sleeve positioned between the tie plates, said supporting bar extending through the tieplates. and spacer sleeve and being slidable and rotatable therein, said straps being sufficiently exible to permit-limited transverse tilting movement of the bar and ladle for pouring purposes whereby thefupper end ofy said bar moves laterally of the carriage in one direction andthe lower end thereof moves laterally in the other direction to cause displacement of the ladle bodily.

WILLIAM S. FRAULA.

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